Film $$$$

[Dave Maciak]

I just need to be a bit more conservative shooting film. Every now and again I'll load a roll of Ektachrome in my
F3hp or FTN. Now B&H sells a roll for $21.00 and there's shipping, processing, postage----- That single roll
may cost me upwards of 50 bucks!! Actually a bit more when you subtract the misses and stinkers, I'll still
use it once in a while----I love the sound of that MD-2!!

 

[cgw]

Ditched C-41 35mm and 120. Same goes for E-6 35mm but I do occasionally feed a 120 roll of Velvia or E-100 to the Mamiya and Bronica kits. Lucky to have a small, non-extortionate lab nearby. Shoot mostly 120 TMY-2 that gets DSLR scanned.

 

[smoke665]

If you can even find it in stock. The cost has definitely dampened my film shooting.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

Hit the button. A roll dissipates into thin air.

 

[terri]

I quit shooting any transparency film years ago. Lost faith in local labs and knew I'd never bother developing color film at home. Frankly, if you shoot digital why bother with the expense of color film at all? Unless you are a professional wedding or event photographer shooting something ethereal like Portra, it seems a strange way to get a color image. The prices have risen and the cost of getting it developed only adds to the overall expense. If you can make it with free or lower cost editing software you can also avoid the rip-off of monthly "subscriptions."

B&W film is still not out of reach. Learn how quick and easy it is to develop at home, and shooting film isn't any more expensive than painting or other artistic expression. There are always costs associated with hobbies.

 

[cgw]

So long as I'm embedded with crazed film/wet plate/paper negative friends, I'll keep at 120 b&w.
All my MF gear is newish, low-mileage stuff--grabbed when it was fire sale priced. Too busy to use it much for several years but learned the ropes fairly quickly. Love it for portraits. Not wildly expensive relative to E-6 and C-41 materials.

 

[Dave Maciak]

Ditched C-41 35mm and 120. Same goes for E-6 35mm but I do occasionally feed a 120 roll of Velvia or E-100 to the Mamiya and Bronica kits. Lucky to have a small, non-extortionate lab nearby. Shoot mostly 120 TMY-2 that gets DSLR scanned.

Always wanted a Bronica, couldn't afford Hasselblad. Like the look, and how it felt in hand, Rented one once for a client doing a brochure of industrial filters-he owned the company. Results were impressive, happy client.
Still lusted for the Hasselblad!

 

[cgw]

Always wanted a Bronica, couldn't afford Hasselblad. Like the look, and how it felt in hand, Rented one once for a client doing a brochure of industrial filters-he owned the company. Results were impressive, happy client.
Still lusted for the Hasselblad!

Never had the hots for Hassies. Wanted a 6x6 camera. Not sold on TLRs like the oldie Mamiyas.
Stumbled across a like-new boxed Bronica SQ-B kit--"budget" package with body, WLF, back and 80mm lens. Got a prism finder, speed winder, extra back and 105mm lens for very little. Nice system.

 

[RAZKY]

I mainly shoot slide film, and have 92 rolls of 120 Velvia 50 and 50 rolls of 35mm Velvia 50 in the freezer. Unless Kodak makes the chemistry again, as was rumored some time ago, I’ll be shooting digital for color next year. I also have a good supply of 120 Ektachrome Type B that was given to me years ago, but I’m not sure if I’ll fool with it, unless I can get Kodak E6 or Fuji Hunt chemistry. (I don’t care for Arista.

 

[Wallycat]

I agree with terri on transparencies. Got rid of my slide projector years ago and shot my last roll of E-6 in 2021. Still shoot B&W and C-41 occaisionally as a hobbyist.
I develop at home both film types. Bought a sous vide to better control temperature for C-41 with good results. My film comsumption is slow so I develop once or twice a year to have enough rolls to make it worth the chemistry.
As for cameras, I have a Nikon F6 that should last me for years. If it doesn't, I have a F5 "film burner". 120 creates challenges for scanning for me.

Great to see film still has fans.

 

[smoke665]

Besides the cost and lag time between shutter click and viewing is the process and lack of longevity. I have had to throw away many boxes of color negatives, prints, and slides from the 70's forward due to fading. I realize that now most scan their negatives but in doing so you lose the main advantage of film, it's ability to render tonal gradation better. So why film if your going to convert to digital, might as well shoot digital to begin with, especially with the ability to duplicate much of the look of film in post. However I admit the mystique of film still pulls at me.

 

[cgw]

Besides the cost and lag time between shutter click and viewing is the process and lack of longevity. I have had to throw away many boxes of color negatives, prints, and slides from the 70's forward due to fading. I realize that now most scan their negatives but in doing so you lose the main advantage of film, it's ability to render tonal gradation better. So why film if your going to convert to digital, might as well shoot digital to begin with, especially with the ability to duplicate much of the look of film in post. However I admit the mystique of film still pulls at me.

Still deeply enamored with my semi-monstrous Mamiya RB67 Pro S. Totally mechanical, almost steam-punkishly so--two-step shutter cock/film advance and whirring shutter timing and stop-down+mirror clicks. Hooked on DSLR scanning those big 6x7 b&w negatives...

 

[smoke665]

Hooked on those big 6x7 b&w negatives...

I hear you, but I wonder just how much difference there would be comparing 120 film B&W, to the Pentax 645z B&W conversion or some of the more recent offerings in MF? Especially a comparison of a strictly analog film to print to a print from digital.

 

[cgw]

I'm liking the process I've worked out for decent prints. Still, I'm hoping Fuji continues to develop big sensor cameras. The new 100RF just might be followed by more affordable models. Fingers crossed.

 

[webestang64]

I feel for you guys. I bless my lucky stars I work at a camera store and get film at cost.